Related papers: H2 distribution during formation of multiphase mol…
Because H2 formation on dust grain surfaces completely dominates gas-phase H2 formation in local molecular clouds, it is often assumed that gas-phase formation is never important. In fact, it is the dominant mechanism in a number of cases.…
Ultra-luminous infrared galaxies are among the most luminous objects in the local universe and are thought to be powered by intense star formation. It has been shown that in these objects the rotational spectral lines of molecular hydrogen…
Dust grains are an important component of the interstellar medium (ISM) of galaxies. We present the first direct measurement of the residence times of interstellar dust in the different ISM phases, and of the transition rates between these…
We have mapped the warm molecular gas traced by the H_2 S(0) - H_2 S(5) pure rotational mid-infrared emission lines over a radial strip across the nucleus and disk of M51 (NGC 5194) using the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on the Spitzer Space…
We present new analytic theory and radiative transfer computations for the atomic to molecular (HI-to-H2) transitions, and the build-up of atomic-hydrogen (HI) gas columns, in optically thick interstellar clouds, irradiated by…
We extend the analytic theory presented by Sternberg et al. (2014) and Bialy & Sternberg (2016) for the production of atomic hydrogen (HI) via FUV photodissociation at the boundaries of dense interstellar molecular (H$_2$) clouds, to also…
We report the presence of a systematic excess in the molecular hydrogen fraction ($f_{\mathrm{H2}} = 2 \, n_{\mathrm{H2}}/n_{\mathrm{H}}$) in studies that use a reduced chemistry network to calculate $f_{\mathrm{H2}}$ of gas with a non-zero…
We present ongoing hydrodynamic and MHD simulations of molecular cloud formation in spiral galaxies. The hydrodynamic results show the formation of molecular gas clouds where spiral shocks compress atomic gas to high densities. The spiral…
The transition between atomic and molecular hydrogen is associated with important changes in the structure of interstellar clouds, and marks the beginning of interstellar chemistry. Because of the relatively simple networks controlling…
We investigate the interplay between the ionization radiation from massive stars and the turbulence inside the surrounding molecular gas thanks to 3D numerical simulations. We used the 3D hydrodynamical code HERACLES to model an initial…
We have used archival far-ultraviolet spectra from observations made by HST/STIS and FUSE to determine the column densities and rotational excitation temperatures for CO and H2, respectively, along the lines of sight to 23 Galactic O and B…
Low-metallicity dwarf galaxies often show no or little CO emission, despite the intense star formation observed in local samples. Both simulations and resolved observations indicate that molecular gas in low-metallicity galaxies may reside…
Theoretical and observational investigations have indicated that the abundance of carbon monoxide (CO) is very sensitive to intrinsic properties of the gaseous medium, such as density, metallicity, and the background UV field. In order to…
The study of primordial chemistry of molecules adresses a number of interesting questions pertaining to the thermal balance of collapsing molecular protoclouds. In numerous astrophysical cases molecular cooling and heating influence…
We present the first numerical simulations that self-consistently follow the formation of dense molecular clouds in colliding flows. Our calculations include a time-dependent model for the H2 and CO chemistry that runs alongside a detailed…
We numerically investigate the internal evolution of multiphase clouds, which are at rest with respect to an ambient, highly ionized medium (HIM) representing the hot component of the circumgalactic medium (CGM). Time-dependent saturated…
In the currently-accepted model for star formation out of the interstellar gas in galaxies, the basic construction material is assumed to be large clouds of atomic hydrogen (HI). These clouds are thought to form higher-density complexes of…
Recent observations have revealed significant variations in the abundances of gas- and ice-phase molecules in galaxies with different luminosities and types. In order to discuss the physical origins of these variations, we incorporate gas-…
We combine Herschel observations of a total of 12 sources to construct the most uniform survey of HF and H2O in our Galactic disk. Both molecules are detected in absorption along all sight lines. The high spectral resolution of the…
How does turbulence contribute to the formation and structure of the dense interstellar medium (ISM)? Molecular clouds are dense, high-pressure objects. It is usually argued that gravitational confinement causes the high pressures, and that…